Raiders Honor Kollevoll with Gold Puck

Silver Puck Dinner Gallery

HAMILTON, N.Y. – Former Colgate player and coach Olav B. (Ole) Kollevoll '45 became only the sixth person to be awarded a gold puck by the Silver Puck Club at the annual banquet on Saturday night at the Hall of Presidents.

“It was a great weekend that allowed us to celebrate the Colgate hockey tradition while at the same time honoring Ole Kollevoll, the architect of modern Colgate hockey,” said head coach Don Vaughan. “It was wonderful that his entire family was here to honor his legacy and the mark that he left here at Colgate.“

Kollevoll was a three-sport athlete for the maroon and white in the early 1940s. He earned six letters and led the 1942-43 men's hockey team to an undefeated season.

After earning his degree in mathematics in 1945, he served in the U.S. Navy as lieutenant in the Pacific during World War II. Following his service, he played professional baseball in the Boston Braves organization and participated in the World Hockey Championships in 1947 as a member of the U.S. National Team.

Once his playing career in baseball came to an end, Kollevoll turned his attention to coaching and athletic administration. He joined the hockey and baseball coaching staffs at St. Lawrence University in 1948 and earned his Master's Degree there. Then he came back to his alma mater in 1955 to coach the freshman football team and baseball squad, then later became head coach of the hockey program. From 1957-65, he amassed an 82-65-2 record in eight seasons and coached a pair of ECAC playoff teams. He was also an assistant athletic director at Colgate during his time as head coach.

In 1965, he left Hamilton to become director of athletics at Lafayette College. Shortly following his departure, the Colgate Alumni Association awarded Ole the Silver Puck award in 1968. Kollevoll remained as the athletic director for the Leopards until 1989. He is a member of the Colgate Hall of Honor and Lafayette Athletic Hall of Fame. He was a member of multiple college hockey committees and for his service as an administrator. Kollevoll was honored by the ECAC in 1991 with a Distinguished Achievement Award following his retirement for his significant individual contribution to intercollegiate athletics.

Kollevoll lost his battle with cancer in September of 2010, but is still remembered as the architect of modern hockey at Colgate and was a great coach, friend and mentor to all that knew him.

On Saturday night, the Raiders honored him with the Gold Puck Award and he joins Whit Williams as the only two recipients of both a Silver and Gold Puck. Five Gold Pucks have been awarded over the years – the last coming back in 2000 when the 1989-90 ECAC title winner and NCAA runner-up squad was honored. Legend Gordie Howe was the recipient of the Gold Puck Award back in 1984.